The day dubbed January Doomsday is looming this Friday (January 29) when analysts predict there will be a three quarter rise in the number of accidents on our roads.

On January 29 last year, analysts at Accident Exchange recorded 74% more crashes than average which suggests that there will be approximately 10,500 accidents this Friday, compared to 6,000 on a typical day in the year.

The comprehensive data, which examined 35,000 incidents recorded by Accident Exchange, also reflects a trend of vehicle accidents clustered towards the latter part of the week.

Annually, there are approximately 19% more accidents on a Friday than on the average weekday.

This year, with January 29 falling on a Friday, it is again expected to be the worst day of the year for accidents. The date saw over eight times the number of accidents than the least accident-prone day, December 25.

The associated rush to head home for the weekend, along with January’s dark evenings coincides with a 5-6pm peak in accidents with numbers up 53% on any given hour during the day.

Adding to the woes linked to the typical dark Friday night in January, adverse weather conditions are likely to claim some responsibility not just for the three-quarter rise in prangs but an 11% increase in incidents overall for December-February, when compared to the equivalent June-August summertime figure.

According to the statistics from the accident management firm, men were also twice as likely to have been at the wheel in an incident, with two thirds of accidents attributed to male drivers.

Liz Fisher, director at Accident Exchange, said the study sheds an interesting light on the seasonal effects on motorists across the UK.

“The combination of poor weather conditions, congestion and likely fatigue at the end of the week means it may come as no surprise that we are approaching peak time in the calendar for accidents,” she said.